Abi currently employs three staff members in her studio in Cape Town and works closely with metalsmiths in Kenya, and bead manufacturers in Ethiopia, Ghana and Mali.
“What I’m probably most proud of is employment. Nontembeko has been working with me for over 10 years, and the rest of my team for the past couple of years. But it goes beyond that. We have a team of brass smiths in Kenya, and those we buy beads from too. While it’s been a challenge – particularly now with COVID – to sustain employment, I’m determined to keep going,” says Abi.
Since joining Abi back in 2010, with little training at the time, studio production manager Nontembeko Mtendeni has experienced great personal and professional growth. She has also faced one of her biggest challenges – when her three-year-old son, Litha, was diagnosed with a heart condition.